Our conference theme is: ‘Building a bridge to the future’ with an acknowledgement of the rapidly changing times we live in and awareness of developing a meeting where mutual respect and an atmosphere of collegiality is maintained, as has always been the case in past ECED gatherings.

Our scientific programme for ECED 2025 in Budapest is starting to take shape and we are excited to give you an outline of what is being planned.

Day 1 -  Thursday afternoon September 11
In light of the alteration in presentation of eating disorders in recent years, particularly post-Covid, it is becoming increasingly important to address the issue of perhaps redefining the diagnostic criteria for eating disorders as many no longer fit the traditional AN/BN criteria. We will have an opening address on this topic and look forward to hearing your views and thoughts on this important subject. 

Our first debate will follow, and the topic will be: “Artificial intelligence-based treatments will replace one-to-one psychotherapy in the initial treatment of eating disorders” .

Day 2 - Friday September 12 
We will open our meeting with a plenary session with a focus on the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) and where it currently (or in the near future) fits into the treatment of eating disorders. We are currently lining up a panel of speakers for this topic. 

On Friday afternoon we will have our final debate topic which is: “Gender disparity in eating disorders will disappear in the near future” .

For the rest of the ECED General Meeting we are currently developing a programme that will have workshops on neurodiversity, treatment for adolescents, managing chronicity and the current push in some countries for acceptance of euthanasia in this context.

Day 3 - Saturday morning, September 13
With all this in mind we are open to hearing from you and look forward to your abstracts and ideas for other workshop or symposia topics. There will be a range of parallel sessions with short papers and posters too. Your involvement is vital and will help generate the success of ECED 2025, and so, please start considering how you might wish to contribute.  

Social Programme
We are not forgetting that a wonderful element of ECED meetings is the general sociability of our gatherings. To that end we are planning an evening dinner with a strong emphasis on Hungarian folk music and dance and hoping we can do this as we cruise gently down the river Danube. More details to follow.  We also wish to encourage those of you who are musically talented to bring along your instruments as we will likely have space for a spontaneous ‘jam’ session led by one of our wonderful hosts, Ferenc Tury, a truly talented zither player.